Hyundai the biggest Super Bowl loser.

Yesterday morning, Hyundai found itself in the crazy position of having bought and paid for two of the worst five Super Bowl spots that aired last night, according to USA Today consumer polls. This is a far cry from Hyundai’s 2009 buy-back offer, which broke through the chips and beer flurry and seized imaginations.

(The ad declared that if you bought a new Hyundai and lost your job within a year, you could give it back.)

Last night, Hyundai gave us the same old steel and glass “looks like/feels like car advertising” spots we’re accustomed to seeing elsewhere.

With over 50 car brands to choose from, in hundreds of styles, Hyundai needs to reach for more than their pocketbooks and big Super Bowl spots. They need a strategy that touches the emotions and helps the sophisticated American car consumer decide which car they want, and which brand community they want to be a part of. Only when they discover this, will Hyundai find themselves in the driver’s seat.